Stiction, adhesion energy, and the Casimir effect in micromechanical systems

2000/08/04 by Eyal Buks, E. Buks, M. L. Roukes · 14 citations
Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Carbon Nanotubes in Composites #Mechanical and Optical Resonators #Quantum Electrodynamics and Casimir Effect #cond-mat.mes-hall

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.63.033402

RevTex, 4 pages, 4 eps figures

arxiv created 2000/08/04 · openalex publication_date 2001/01/02 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

We measure the adhesion energy of gold using a micromachined cantilever beam. Stress and stiffness of the beam are characterized by measuring the spectrum of mechanical vibrations and the deflection due to external force. We induce stiction between the beam and a nearby surface, employing capillary forces to determine the adhesion energy \ensuremathγ. The obtained value \ensuremathγ=0.06J/m² is a factor of 6 smaller than that predicted by idealized theory. This discrepancy may arise from surface roughness or an adsorbed layer intervening between the contacting surfaces in these mesoscopic structures.

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